Ulfa faction denies involvement in Tinsukia killings

Guwahati, Nov 02 (IANS): The Ulfa's anti-talk faction on Friday denied their involvement in the brutal killing of five people in Asssam's Tinsukia district a day ago.In a press statement, the United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent's (ULFA-I) Publicity Secretary Romel Asom said: "We would like to make it clear that our organisation does not have any involvement in the firing incident that occurred (on Thursday night) in Sadiya Saikhowaghat, Tinsukia."

The Ulfa-I is led by its commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah.Five people were killed at a location called Kherbari under Dhola police station when unidentified armed assailants in battle fatigues fired at them. The victims were Bengalis. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has instructed Director General of Police Kuladhar Saikia and Additional Director General of Police Mukesh Agarwal to rush to Dhola to assess the situation.Meanwhile, the All Assam Bengali Youth Federation on Friday called a 12-hour bandh in protest against the killings. The bandh has drawn a total response in and around the districts and most of the business establishments, educational institutions and others kept their shutters down.